"The ICT 2015 Conference presented the new Commission policies and initiatives with regard to Research and Innovation in ICT, Excellent Science and Societal Challenges."It was focused on how we can "Innovate, Connect and Transform" the Digital Society.

Near 6 000 people attended #ICT2015! Wow ! Amazing number! And it was so true. I attended the ICT2015. The CCL was full of good vibration, animated talks between the sessions. People of so different coutries, not only from Europe.

I wrote about this off-site exhibition Escolas : Visitas de Estudo Exposição ICT 2015 inviting teachers and students to visit it. I think it would be an interesting school experience about science, innovation and IT outside the classroom. It was a great success.

Hope you have been there with your students. Did they interact with the robotAlfred, one of the hosts of the exhibition? Hope so. Students love robotics.Exhibitions are powerful resources to explore and include into the school curriculum. Students learn better when evolving competences outside the classroom in live events.

First day, on the 21 October, I started visiting, in different moments of the day, the interactive exhibition - the ah-ah of innovation, creativity, science and technology. A dynamic showcase of "the best-in-class results of the existing European ICT Research & Innovation".

The exhibition encompassed innovation at "the interconnection of science, technology and art".

Art elements, artistic representation of a project idea, artistic creativity on-site were foreseen to be streamlined throughout the exhibition.

The exhibition design was really awesome. Looking around for some time, I was fascinated with all I could see, the advanced research, future visions. Inspiring ideas. Amazing projects.

After the exhibition my priority, as a creative educator, and a specialist in Education and Innovation, was to participate in the Plenary sessions: Opening Ceremony ; Innovation Potential in the Digital Age ; Transforming Research and Innovation into Growth and Jobs, Prizes Award Ceremonies, Final Plenary: The Transformative Impact of Excellence Science.

The better way to have a good panoramic idea about all the good things at ICT 2015. I couldn't reach all the sessions with so many parallel sessions. I was not there for business. So I focused myself on the Plenary sessions.

But I participated in two parallel sessions on Digital Learning.Not so interesting. Traditional networks, no interacting or presenting innovative ideas about ICT in Education. This event deserved better parallel session in Education (Schools).

To me the real creative session was the Plenary 6 : Driving Innovation through Creativity and the Arts. It took place at the Auditorium 1, first day October 21. Awesome projects through Arts and creativity. Inspiring talks by an awesome panel. I would like to highlight Simona Maschi CIID, Denemark "From Inspiration to Impact", Gerfried Stocker, Ars Electronica Linz GmbH.

Starting from the idea"How can creative ideas be brought in from the edge to transform how we live and work?", the speakers explored through inspirational examples in education, in industry, and in academia, on what more can be done to benefit from this exciting nexus and stimulate it further.

The aim of the session was to discuss how stimulating the crossovers of creative ideas, particularly from the Arts, can drive innovation in Europe. Speakers addressed how crossovers from culture/the Arts to innovation is done in industry, in education and in academia.

The visual storyteller Veronica Harrisson used the graphic illustration to capture the fundamental ideas of the speakers and gave us her own interpretation on this clear graphic facilation panel. Creative graphic facilitator. Applauded by the participants and the speakers.

As I wrote before ICT 2015 hosted an exhibition of 140 Projects financed with European funds. The projects have been divided in 3 Categories : Innovate, Connect, Transform. There has been also the main Prize of the overall exhibition.

Rockin Monarch directed to children in hospitals & No One Left Behind directed to kids inclusion were my favorites, of course. My higher interests are the young people, special needs, inclusion and equity. I congratulate those two interesting projects.

Of course this is a (im)possible report of an impressive event. Some notes about the areas that touch my interests in this excellent and innovative big event.

"While a new idea is a thought about something new or unique, and making that idea real is an invention, innovation is an invention that has a socioeconomic effect. Innovation changes the way people live."

Fight Ilegal Contents

Member

Email

Expert

My website

Global Junior Challenge 2004

Micro-Innovator ICT Learning

Certified Expert

Recent Publications

Souto, G. (2013) Time for Action: New Challenges in Secondary Education. At Conference Proceedings, International Conference The Future of Education, Florence, Italy.

Souto, G. (2013) Visionary Learning for 2030: Secondary Education. In Booklet online "Vision on Open Education 2030 Part 2: School Education", European Commission and The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS).

TEDxKids Brussels 2011

Gina Souto was guest tweeting from TEDxKids in Brussels on June 1st."48 kids, all of them born in 2000, are going get their hands dirty, soldering, tinkering, hacking and composing. A series of hands-on workshops will introduce the kids to a range of skills and methods.

At the same time 400 adults will be treated to an all day program of leading thinkers, experts and makers."

The twitter address is @TEDxKidsEU and there was a fantastic live stream from the event.